Ancient French tapestry leaves home for first time in 1,000 years

Imagine a piece of cloth that is almost one thousand years old. This cloth tells the story of a great battle. Now, something exciting is happening—this treasure is leaving France for the first time ever.

The Bayeux Tapestry is coming to the United Kingdom. A tapestry is a long piece of cloth with pictures and thread. Artists made this one in the year 1066. It shows pictures of a famous king and a great battle. For almost a thousand years, it stayed in a small town in France called Bayeux.

Now British people have a chance to see it. Museums in London will show the tapestry for several months. People are very excited. Thousands of tickets sold in just a few days. Some people waited in long lines to buy tickets. Others bought tickets on the computer very quickly.

Why do so many people want to see this old cloth? The tapestry is special history. It shows how people lived long ago. The pictures tell a true story. Each picture has beautiful colors and careful work. The artists used their hands to make every part.

This is very unusual. The tapestry almost never leaves France. French people are very proud of it. But for this short time, people in Britain can see something very old and very beautiful. Have you ever waited to see something famous? What would you travel far to see?